Special to
The Tribune
Copter scam may cast shadow on UK PM’s visit
British Prime Minister David Cameron’s forthcoming visit to India is in danger of being overshadowed by allegations of an unfolding commercial scandal.
Cameron and his entourage of businessmen, including defence and aerospace executives, are due to touch down in India next Monday, but the timing of their arrival is embarrassing as it comes in the wake of corruption allegations involving the sale of AgustaWestland helicopters to the IAF.

Obama announces troop withdrawal from Afghanistan
Washington, February 13US President Barack Obama announced to bring 34,000 American troops back home from war-torn Afghanistan in the next one year as he warned North Korea and Iran to meet international obligations on their controversial nuclear programmes or face firm action.

US President Barack Obama during his State of the Union address in Washington on Tuesday. — AP/PTI

Seoul to step up missile defence after N Korea test
Seoul, February 13
South Korea today said that it would accelerate the development of longer-range
ballistic missiles that could cover the whole of North Korea in response to a
third nuclear test by Pyongyang. "We will speed up the development of
ballistic missiles with a range of 800 km," Defence Ministry spokesman Kim
Min-Seok told reporters.

British Prime Minister David Cameron’s forthcoming visit to India is in danger of being overshadowed by allegations of an unfolding commercial scandal.
Cameron and his entourage of businessmen, including defence and aerospace executives, are due to touch down in India next Monday, but the timing of their arrival is embarrassing as it comes in the wake of corruption allegations involving the sale of AgustaWestland helicopters to the IAF.

Although the helicopters are manufactured in the UK, AgustaWestland is owned by Milan-based Finmeccanica, Italy’s biggest defence company.

Both men and state-controlled
Finmeccanica, the head office of which in Milan was searched this week, deny any wrongdoing.

The company has sold some 50 helicopters to India and recently secured a 560 million euro contract to sell another 12 luxury models for use by the President, Prime Minister and other VIPs.

At the heart of the scandal are allegations
that Finmeccanica paid 51 million euros in bribes to Indian contacts to secure the latest contract against competition
from French, US and Russian competitors.

So far, three out of the nine helicopters have been delivered, but the delivery of the remaining nine has been put on hold pending the outcome of an inquiry by the CBI.

A Defence Ministry spokesman said earlier this week that the CBI inquiry was ordered after no information was received from the Italian and British Governments about the allegations concerning the deal.

“Since no specific input has been received so far from the two governments, the Ministry of Defence has decided to refer the case to the CBI for inquiry,” the Defence Ministry statement said.

The importance of the Indian market for AgustaWestland was underlined six days ago
by the company’s Managing Director for International Business, former British Defence Minister Geoff Hoon.

Speaking on the eve of the Aero India air show in Bangalore, Hoon said, “India is an important and growing market for AgustaWestland, so at Aero India, we are promoting the most modern and capable rotorcraft available today, confident that we can build on our past successes and fulfil the future requirements of both the Indian armed forces and commercial customers.

“We will also be
using Aero India to help pursue our strategy to expand and develop our relationships with Indian companies to ensure we are a part of India’s growing aerospace industry.

“Indian Rotorcraft Limited, our joint venture with Tata Sons, is a prime example of this strategy and our long-term commitment to India.”

In London, India’s High Commissioner to the UK said on Tuesday night that Cameron’s visit to India is expected to boost bilateral ties. "There will be significant advancement in India-UK relations with the forthcoming visit of the British Prime Minister to India in the near future," Dr Jaimini Bhagwati was quoted as saying.

Washington, February 13
US President Barack Obama announced to bring 34,000 American troops back home from war-torn Afghanistan in the next one year as he warned North Korea and Iran to meet international obligations on their controversial nuclear programmes or face firm action.

In an inspiring State of the Union Address — the first of his second term — Obama also came out with specific proposals to rejuvenate the country’s fragile economy by boosting the middle class, creating jobs, fixing the finances, increasing minimum wages and comprehensive immigration reform to attract the best talent of the world.

"This spring, our forces will move into a support role, while Afghan security forces take the lead. Tonight, I can announce that over the next year, another 34,000 American troops will come home from Afghanistan," Obama said.

Obama termed North Korea's nuclear tests as "provocative" and vowed to take "firm action" against Pyongyang, a day after the reclusive Communist state conducted its third and most powerful nuclear explosion despite international sanctions.

"The regime in North Korea must know that they will only achieve security and prosperity by meeting their international obligations. Provocations of the sort we saw last night will only isolate them further, as we stand by our allies, strengthen our own missile defence, and lead the world in taking firm action in response to these threats," he said.

He also told Iranian leaders it was time to end the standoff over Tehran's nuclear programme, saying the diplomatic option for Islamic republic was still open.

Speaking forcefully about education and economic opportunity for all, Obama sought more investment in schools and clean energy; deficit reduction through spending cuts, tax increases and new measures to protect critical infrastructure from growing cyber threat from foreign enemies.

"A growing economy that creates good, middle-class jobs — that must be the North Star that guides our efforts. Every day, we should ask ourselves three questions as a nation: How do we attract more jobs to our shores? How do we equip our people with the skills needed to do those jobs? And how do we make sure that hard work leads to a decent living?" he said.

“Our first priority is making America a magnet for new jobs and manufacturing,” he said, adding that after shedding jobs for more than 10 years, our manufacturers have added about 5,00,000 jobs over the past three.

Proposing a slew of measures to reduce the nation's deficit, Obama called for saving billions of dollars by getting rid of tax loopholes and deductions for the well-off and well-connected.
— PTI

State of the Union
Address

Warns N Korea, Iran to meet obligations on N-programmes

Makes specific proposals to rejuvenate the country’s
economy

Vows to work with other nations towards global poverty elimination and an AIDS-free
world

Pledges to take action on climate change asserting that the nation must act before it’s too late

Washington:
Obama remembered the victims of several tragic shootouts in the country including that of Oak
Creek gurdwara, seeking tougher gun control laws to prevent such incidents.

“The families of Newtown deserve a vote. The families of Aurora deserve a vote. The families of Oak Creek, and Tucson, and Blacksburg, and the countless other communities ripped open by gun violence - they deserve a simple vote," Obama said.
— PTI

Seoul, February 13
South Korea today said that it would accelerate the development of longer-range ballistic missiles that could cover the whole of North Korea in response to a third nuclear test by Pyongyang.
"We will speed up the development of ballistic missiles with a range of 800 km," Defence Ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok told reporters.

In October last year, South Korea reached a deal with the United States to almost triple the range of its missile systems — with Seoul arguing it needed an upgrade to counter the North’s missile and nuclear programmes.

The United States has 28,500 troops in South Korea and guarantees a nuclear “umbrella” in case of any atomic attack.

In return, Seoul accepts limits on its missile capabilities. Prior to the October agreement, the South was restricted to missiles with a range of 300 km.
— AFP

Police rush to a Tibetan monk who set himself on fire at the Boudhanath stupa in Kathmandu on Wednesday. — Reuters

Pak Assembly discards Sindh’s Sanskritised spelling
Islamabad: The Sindh Provincial Assembly on Tuesday approved a Bill changing the spelling of the name of the province from the Sanskritised ‘Sindh’ to the Arabic 'Sind'. The name was reportedly derived from the Indus river which was known to the Arabs as al Sind as against Sindhu in Sanskrit.
— TNS

Quitting for good of church: Pope
Vatican City: Looking tired but serene, Pope Benedict XVI told the thousands who gathered for his weekly audience that he was resigning for “the good of the church” an extraordinary scene that unfolded in his first appearance since dropping the bombshell announcement. The 85-year-old Benedict basked in more than a minute-long standing ovation when he entered the packed hall for his traditional Wednesday catechism lesson. He was interrupted repeatedly by applause, and many in the audience of thousands had tears in their eyes.
— AP

Assange to run for Victorian Senate
Melbourne: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, currently holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, is all set to contest for a Senate seat in the September 14 federal election from Victoria. WikiLeaks Australian Citizens Alliance spokeswoman Sam Castro said Assange's application for the election enrolment was given on Wednesday at the Australian Electoral Commission here.
— PTI

Fears of ‘catastrophic’ violence in Mali
Gao (Mali): Mali risks descending into “catastrophic” violence, the UN rights chief has warned, after a string of attacks by Islamist rebels increased the pressure on French-led forces in the west African nation. After four days of suicide bombings and guerrilla fighting in the northern city of Gao, fears of fresh attacks were high following a call from Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula for a holy war.
— AFP